Hot car furnace



March 17, 1964 R. c. LARKO 3,125,328

HOT CAR FURNACE Filed NOV. 20, 1961 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J IGMC 32 jav f% March 17, 1964 R. c. LARKO 3,125,323

HOT CAR FURNACE Filed NOV. 20, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,125,328 HUT CAR FURNACE Robert C. .Larko, Meadvillc, Pa, assignor to Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 153,511 7 Claims. (Cl. 263-28) This invention relates generally to heat treating furnaces and more particularly to large car type furnaces in which heavy loads to be heat treated are moved into the furnace on a wheel supported platform.

in the annealing of large rolls of strip material and other bulky parts weighing many tons, the problem of transporting the material to be heat treated into and out of the furnace enclosure has long been present. The loads being handled are frequently on the order of fifteen or twenty tons. In this type of furnace, the vehicle for sup porting the load must enter the furnace enclosure and remain there during the heat treating cycle. The presence of the vehicle within the heated furnace for long periods of time makes the proper lubrication of the supporting means for the vehicle extremely diflicult. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide an improved support means for the load carrying vehicle of a car type furnace. Any improvement in the support for the load carrying vehicle should result in lower maintenance cost and also reduced friction whereby the supporting vehicle may be easily moved into and out of the furnace enclosure.

In the past it has been conventional to design the load carlying vehicle with supporting wheels which engage a pair of tracks extending from the factory floor on into the floor of the furnace. The tracks are normally provided with hinged sections adjacent the door of the furnace so that the tracks may be moved out of the Way to insure complete sealing of the furnace enclosure. The tracks must then be swung back into place when the door is opened and the load supporting vehicle is to be moved into or out of the furnace. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide vehicle supporting means which would eliminate the need for a hinged or movable track section at the entrance to the furnace.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a car type furnace having an improved load supporting carriage.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved load supporting means for transporting heavy loads into and out of a furnace enclosure.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a load supporting vehicle for a car type furnace having a continuous roller chain acting as a bearingsupport for the vehicle.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularityrin the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the present invent-ion, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional viewof acar type furnace embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an-enlarged view of one end of the load supporting car shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one end of the load supporting car taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 :is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings there is shown in FIG. 1 a large annealing furnace designated generally by reference numeral 11. The furnace 11 includes a conven- ICC tional enclosure 12 having side walls 13, a roof 14 and door 15 made of insulating refractory material and sheet metal in the conventional manner. The door 15 is slidably supported for movement upwardly in the vertical plane from the position shown in 'FIG. 1 permitting a load of material being treated to be moved into and out of the furnace enclosure 12. The furnace is heated by means of heating elements 16 which extend into the enclosure 12. The elements 16 comprise U-shaped radiant tube burners within which gases are combusted in the conventional manner. While thrree heating elements 16 are shown in FIG. 1 for illustrative purposes, it should be understood that the number and arrangement of the heating elements form no part of my invention and that there would be additional elements to achieve the desired heating of the enclosure '12. Baffles may be utilized to prevent heat from being radiated from the burners to the work.

Supported by the roof 14 of the furnace are several large centrifugal type fans 17 which are designed to circulate the atmosphere within the furnace and provide an even temperature throughout the enclosure 12. The fans 17 are driven by electric motors 13 which are connected to the shafts supporting the fans 17 by speed reducing pulleys and belts 19.

In FIG. 1, a load supporting vehicle 20 is illustrated positioned within the furnace enclosure 12. The vehicle 29 is made up of a pair of longitudinally extending channel members 22 positioned on either side thereof. The channels 22 are interconnected by a plurality of I-oeams 23 to form a rigid load supporting platform 25. The I beams 23 are secured to the channel members 22 by welding or other suitable means. The frame formed by the ='I-beams 23 and the channels 22 is covered by a heavy wire mesh 24.

The load supporting platform 25' is itself supported for rolling movement by means of a pair of continuous roller chains 26 formed by rollers 26a supported by axles 26b and interconnected by links or side plates 260. The chain 26 is a commercial roller chain having in one particular embodiment 2 /2 inch diameter rollers interconnected by side bars or links with the supporting axles for the rollers being inch in diameter and spaced on 2 inch centers. As may best be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, each roller chain 26 is supported in a channel member .27. As seen in FIG. 1, each channel member 27 is formed in the shape of an oval having a semicircular shape at either end of the load supporting car 20 so that the roller chain 26 may pass around the ends thereof. The lower side of each oval channel member 27 is horizontal and extends between the semicircular end portions. At the middle of the upper edge of each channelshaped oval 27, the channel is discontinuous having'a break formed therein where ends 27a are turned downwardly. This break and the downwardly turned ends 27a provide an area where slack in the roller chain v26 may hang ,down without interfering with the supporting function of the chain. .It should be noted that there is no driving means applied to the roller chain 26; it merely serves as a supporting means for the load vehicle 2% To interconnect the load supporting platform 25 in the oval ,channel 27, a plurality of vertically extending I-beams 28 are welded to the transversely extending I- heams 23. Carried at the lower ends of the I-beams 28 is a'longitudinally extending I-beam 29 which extends the entire length of the lower edge of the oval 27. The I-beams 29 are parallel to channel members 22 but spaced below and inwardly thereof. -It should be appreciated that the Lbeams 2 9 back up and reinforce the channelshaped ovals 27 and thereby transmit the load [from the platform 25 to the individual rollers 26a of the chains 26.

As may be best seen in FIG. 3, the floor of the furnace is provided with a channel 30 which receives each roller chain 26 carried by the load supporting vehicle 20. The channel or track 30 guides the vehicle and provides low frictional engagement between the rollers 26a and the floor of the furnace. There is provided an aligned track portion 31 which is exterior of the furnace 1 1 and supports the roller chain 26 of the vehicle 20 after it has been moved out of the furnace 11. The plurality of rollers making up the roller chain 26 provide a means of distributing the large weight of the vehicle 20 and its load over a great many rolling surfaces. With the weight carried by each of the rollers 26a being relatively small, the problems of lubrication, wear, etc. are maintained to a minimum.

In addition, it should be noted that the floor of th furnace and the outside factory floor are discontinuous, there being a well 32 within which the lower edge of the door is received. As was mentioned above in connection with prior art Wheel supported vehicles, it is conventional to employ a pivoted or hinged section of track to span this door receiving Well and permit the load supporting vehicle to move from the track portion Within the furnace to the track portion outside of the furnace. Utilizing the instant invention, it is possible to traverse the well 32 with the load supporting vehicle without the use of any additional or supplementary section of track. The space or distance between the ends of the track portions 30 and 31 is relatively small as compared to the length of track over which the entire load of the vehicle 20 is distributed. As the roller chain moves across the well 32, there is ample track in engagement with the other portions of the roller chain 26 to carry the load very adequately.

At the front end of the vehicle 20, there is a draw bar 33 provided which facilitates movement of the vehicle 20 by means of a prime mover.

While there has been shown and described one embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modications may be made Without departing from the invention, and that it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a car type heat treating furnace, an improved load supporting vehicle comprising a platform, a pair of continuous roller chains, guide means carried by said platform to support said roller chains, and channel-shaped tracks for receiving a portion of said chain, said platform being supported on said tracks by said roller chain, said roller chains having interconnected roller elements in rolling engagement with said guide means and said tracks.

2. In a furnace of the type having a furnace enclosure with a movably mounted door for an opening therein, a track supporting means extending from outside of said enclosure through said opening into said enclosure, a door sealing well formed in said supporting means at said opening for receiving the lower edge of said door, the improvement comprising a vehicle for transporting material to be treated into said furnace, said vehicle having a supporting platform and a pair of channelshaped oval members carried by said platform, a continuous roller chain received in each said channel-shaped oval member, and a pair of parallel spaced tracks extending through said opening, said tracks being interrupted in the area of said well, said roller chains supporting said vehicle in said spaced tracks for movements into and out of said furnace enclosure.

3. In a car type furnace of the type having a furnace enclosure, an improved load supporting vehicle comprising, a platform, a pair of channel-shaped oval members carried by said platform, said members being positioned in spaced vertical planes having horizontally extending lower edges, a pair of continuous roller chains received on each of said members with the rollers in said lower horizontal edge extending below the edges of the channels in said members, said oval members being discontinuous along an upper horizontal portion and formed with down turned ends between which slack in said roller chamber may hang and a pair of horizontally spaced track members for receiving said roller chains and thereby supporting said vehicle, said rollcrs being in rolling engagement with said channel-shaped oval members and said track members, said track members extending into said furnace enclosure.

4. A car type furnace comprising a furnace enclosure having insulated walls and heating means therein, said walls defining an opening for said furnace, a vertically slidable door for said opening, said furnace being supported on a horizontal floor, said floor being formed with a well at said opening to receive the lower edge of said door for sealing engagement therein, a vehicle for transporting material to be treated into said furnace, said vehicle having a supporting platform and a pair of guide members having channel-shaped outer peripheries and carried by said platform, a continuous roller chain received in each said channel-shaped periphery, and a pair of parallel spaced tracks extending along said tloor through said opening, said tracks being interrupted in the area of said well, said roller chain supporting said vehicle in said spaced tracks for movements into and out of said furnace.

5. The combination of claim 2 wherein said roller chain is supported for movement with respect to said channel-shaped members.

6. The combination of claim 2 wherein the uppermost side of each oval member is interrupted to permit slack in said chain to loop downwardly therein.

7. In a furnace of the type having a furnace enclosure with a movably mounted door for an opening therein, a track supporting means extending from outside of said enclosure through said opening into said enclosure, a door sealing well formed in said supporting means at said opening for receiving the lower edge of said door, the improvement comprising a vehicle for transporting material to be treated into said furnace, said vehicle having a supporting platform and a pair of channel-shaped guide members carried by said platform, a continuous roller chain received in each said channel-shaped guide member, and a pair of parallel spaced tracks extending through said opening, said tracks being interrupted in the area of said well, said roller chains supporting said vehicle in said spaced tracks for movements into and out of said furnace enclosure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,342,041 Drinker June 1, 1920 1,566,085 Geaudreau Dec. 15, 1925 1,879,713 Scott Sept. 27, 1932 2,484,754 Silva Oct. 11, 1949 2,869,931 Perkins et a1. Ian. 20, 1959 2,895,429 Baermann July 21, 1959 2,906,212 Hayes Sept. 29, 1959 

1. IN A CAR TYPE HEAT TREATING FURNACE, AN IMPROVED LOAD SUPPORTING VEHICLE COMPRISING A PLATFORM, A PAIR OF CONTINUOUS ROLLER CHAINS, GUIDE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID PLATFORM TO SUPPORT SAID ROLLER CHAINS, AND CHANNEL-SHAPED TRACKS FOR RECEIVING A PORTION OF SAID CHAIN, SAID PLATFORM BEING SUPPORTED ON SAID TRACKS BY SAID ROLLER CHAINS, SAID ROLLER CHAINS HAVING INTERCONNECTED ROLLER ELEMENTS IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GUIDE MEANS AND SAID TRACKS. 